Heist in Sin City
by Rhonda1
Summary: *Conclusion updated*...Sydney heads to Las Vegas on a personal mission for Sloane...she'll meet up with an old flame (much to someone's displeasure)...
1. The Mission

Disclaimer: Vaughn, Sydney, Sloane and Weiss are properties of J.J. Abrams.  Everyone else is my creation.

Summary: My first attempt at an Action/Adventure/Romance fanfic. There have been rumors that Sydney would meet up with a former love interest in a future episode, so I thought I'd try it out.  The setting is in Las Vegas, but has nothing to do with "The Coup." Sydney will pose as a cocktail waitress again, but just so it doesn't seem redundant of the show, let's pretend she never went to Vegas before.

This story will be spread out over several chapters. Not a whole lot of angst-y stuff, but hopefully, it'll be an entertaining read.

Credit Dauphine 

Sydney wrenched open the door to the briefing room, an excuse on her lips. "I'm sorry, but the traffic--" She suddenly noticed that Sloane was the only other person in the room. "I thought I was late. Where is everyone?"

"You are late, Sydney, but the only person you have kept waiting is me." Sloane said in a brittle voice. "No one else is attending this briefing."

"Why not?" She took a seat. "What is this about?"  
  


Sloane paused a few moments before answering. "Sydney, I'm about to ask you to do something that has nothing to do with SD-6. This is a personal matter that I want kept strictly between us."

_He wants me to do a personal favor for him_! _Was he out of his mind_? "All right." She said carefully.

Sloane looked thoughtful. "Sydney, you and Emily are friends, wouldn't you say?"

_Why was he bringing up his wife_? "Yes." Before she'd found out what a despicable creature Arvin Sloane really was, Sydney and Emily Sloane had had a close relationship. Sydney looked at her as the mother figure she didn't have and Emily treated her like a daughter. But since Danny's murder (which was a direct result of Emily's loving husband's paranoia) and Emily's subsequent diagnosis of lymphoma, Sydney found herself feeling awkward in having any sort of contact with her friend.

"And you wouldn't want to see her hurt?"

"Of course not."

Sloane paused at this point, appearing contemplative. "Well, there is a certain party who has information about me which could hurt Emily." Sloane met her gaze. "She isn't a well woman, Sydney, as you know. If she were to receive this information…" He let his words trail off, letting her draw her own conclusions.

"What kind of information are we talking about?" _If it was about the fact that you're evil incarnate, she probably already knows that_!

"Photographs." Sloane said abruptly. "Of me and another woman."

_Oh, God, was he trying to make me sick_? Sydney tried desperately to keep those revolting images from getting inside her brain. "I see." She said neutrally. "And who has these photographs?"

Sloane flashed a photo onto the monitor in front of her. "Do you recognize this man?"

Sydney's eyes widened in shock. "That's Jason Durant." She said softly.

"So you remember him."

"We dated when I was an undergrad at UCLA." Sydney told him. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Sydney, do you know what he does now?"

"No."

"I assume you know who his father is? Garson Durant?"

"He's an international financier." She replied. "He does very well, I believe."

Sloane smiled at her gross understatement. "The man is worth several hundred million dollars."

"I know that now, but I didn't back then." Sydney said. "Jason told me his father was rich and he always had money to burn, but I didn't really pay attention."

"I knew Garson Durant in school. We were friends. We knew the same people, pledged to the same fraternity. We even traveled through Europe together after we graduated from college." Sloane told her.

"We went down different paths after college. I joined the CIA and he went into his father's banking firm. We still kept in touch, however. Whenever he was in L.A. or I was in New York, we'd see each other and go out to dinner."

"On one of those dinners, Garson brought a young woman along." Sloane's eyes grew hazy as he reminisced and Sydney almost believed he had a heart. "She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. The only problem was that she was dating my good friend."

"You're talking about Emily?" Sydney inquired.

"Yes." Sloane concurred. "She was lovely. Long curly hair flowing over her shoulders, graceful hands, crystal blue eyes that seemed to look right into my soul. I fell hard for her and miraculously, she felt the same way about me."

Sydney gulped. She couldn't imagine anyone _falling in love_ with someone as despicable as Arvin Sloane, but somehow Emily had. Maybe she had been able to see some good in him, even if it was buried deep beneath the smarmy smile and the calculating eyes.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, she left New York and Garson and came out here with me. We were married a few months later."

"She chose you over him." Her words were a statement rather than a question.

Sloane nodded briefly. "And he has never gotten over that, apparently. I didn't realize how much he wanted to destroy me until one of the photographs was delivered to my house last week."

"But why would he want to hurt Emily like that?" Sydney questioned. "If he still cares about her, why would he do that to her?"

"Because he knows she would leave me." Sloane said matter-of-factly. "And that I would suffer for it greatly."

"But she's sick!" Sydney burst out. "It's possible she may be dying, yet he would make her spend her last days alone and miserable?"

"All the more for me to feel guilty about if she does succumb to her illness."

Sydney burned inside, hating that she had to deal with so many callous, unethical people. "How did he get these pictures of you?"  
  


"I was a guest at the Oasis Hotel in Las Vegas last month." He told her. "After I received the photograph, I did some further checking and found out that young Jason runs the hotel."

"They have hidden cameras in the rooms?" 

"Not all of them." Sloane shook his head. "The Oasis has a number of VIP suites and I was given one during my stay."

Sydney frowned. "But you're not—I mean, you're not exactly a…well-known figure." She said delicately. "Why--?" She let the question die on her lips.

Sloane understood her unspoken confusion. "No doubt these rooms are used by the more famous or influential guests who stay at the hotel." He allowed. "Somehow Garson must have known I was there and he arranged for me to have one of the special suites."

"Then you're probably not the only one this has happened to." Sydney felt her stomach turn. Was this what Jason Durant was up to these days? It was hard for her to imagine that the generous, fun-loving Jason she had known was now involved in gambling (even if it was legal), making illicit videos, and no doubt, blackmail.

"My concern is not for other people, Sydney." Sloane said unsympathetically. "It is for me."

_Big surprise there_, she thought wryly. "So you want me to get these photographs?"

"And the negatives." Sloane added.

"How am I supposed to do that?" She queried. "Jason knows me."

"That's what I'm counting on."

Sydney stared at him. "You want me to use our past friendship to get on the inside?"

"With a cover story, of course." Sloane replied. "You'll be applying for a job as a cocktail waitress at the hotel."

"So I obviously can't be the college coed he knew seven years ago."

"No, you'll have gone through a rough patch in your life." Sloane conceded. "How ever you want to play it will be fine. I trust you."

_Did he trust her_? She wondered to herself. _Not so long ago, you thought I was the mole against your precious SD-6_. _Now you want me to save your ass_. 

A thought struck her. "How did you know I knew Jason?" She asked curiously. "I hadn't been recruited to work here yet when I knew him."

He gave her a benign smile. "I've known you since you were a baby, Sydney. You have never been far from my sight." He said cryptically.

_Which meant he'd been watching her—maybe all of her life—and she'd never even known it_. _It was enough to make her skin crawl_.

"I will do this for you," Her voice was icy-cool and controlled. "But I want something in return." She gave him a look of steely resolve.

Sloane looked vaguely amused at her request. "And what would that be, Sydney?" He asked, in that dangerously quiet voice he had.

"You know there will come a day when I will want to leave here." She began. "You know I'm in graduate school and that I would like to become a teacher."

"An admirable profession, but a waste of your talents." Sloane observed.

Sydney bit back a sharp retort. "Be that as it may, those are my plans and I intend to stick to them."

"That is why I am asking you that when I choose to leave SD-6, you will let me go." Her eyes never wavered from his beady gaze. "You will not have someone watching my home or following me when I go to work. You will have to trust that what I have seen and done here will remain with me and only me." 

Sloane appeared contemplative. She could almost see the wheels turning in that twisted brain of his. "I have no doubt that you have learned your lesson about keeping the activities of this agency confidential, Sydney."

_Was he calling Danny's murder _"my lesson?"It was all she could do not to slide across the table and strangle him.

"Very well, Sydney. I agree to your terms."

"Then I will be on the first available flight to Las Vegas."

_To be continued_…


	2. A Snap Decision

After the briefing with Sloane, Sydney left the office and went to retrieve her car from the underground parking garage. On her way out, she got out her cell phone and made a reservation for an afternoon flight to Las Vegas leaving LAX at 1:30 pm. Then she stopped off at a nearby drugstore to pick up some odds and ends for her trip and place a call to Vaughn on the payphone that was located inside the store.

After ditching her tail, Sydney headed straight for the warehouse. She arrived first and was already sitting down when Vaughn appeared at the chain link fence.

"Sydney, I received your page and got here as fast as I could." He asked, a look of apprehension on his face. "Is something wrong?"

She smiled to herself. It was nice that he was always so concerned about her. "No, no, nothing's wrong." She said hastily. "I just wanted--" She stopped in mid-sentence, not saying what she really wanted to say. _I just wanted to see you_. She began again. "I just wanted you to know—in case you try to reach me—that I'll be out of town for a few days."

"You're going on a mission? We weren't told--"

"No, it's not a mission." She cut in. "It's a personal matter."

"Oh," He said shortly, wanting to know but not wanting to pry.

"For Sloane." She added.

"What?" He did a double-take.

"I know." Her mouth quirked. "Him trusting me to do his dirty work."

"What is this about?" Vaughn frowned. "Can you tell me?"

She gave him a little smile. "Even if I couldn't, I would." She told him and he looked pleased. "Someone has photographs of Sloane with another woman."

Vaughn winced at the thought.

"I know, it's a disgusting image, isn't it?" Sydney's forehead wrinkled in distaste. 

 "And he trusts you with this kind of information?" Vaughn asked. "I mean, it gives you something to hold over his head."

She shrugged. "No doubt he probably is questioning whether I will keep it to myself, but he knows that I would never want to hurt his wife."

"I see." He nodded. "And why is he asking _you_ to do this? There's no one else?"

"Well, I actually have an advantage over another agent." She said slowly. "The man who has these photos? I know him."

_Sydney was acquainted with a blackmailer_? "Who is it? How do you know him?" He asked urgently.

"His name is Jason Durant. I knew him in college. I was a freshman and he was a senior and we were…friends." She made a slight hesitation and Vaughn noticed.

"Just friends?"  He raised an eyebrow.

Sydney hemmed and hawed a bit. "Well, we dated a couple of times." She finally admitted.

"You dated him?" Vaughn pounced on her words, a flash of jealousy in his heart. "Was it serious?"

"No!" Sydney said in a firm tone. "We were friends first and then we went out a few times."

"But no sparks?" Vaughn realized he was holding his breath and slowly let it out.

Sydney shook her head. "I think he was more interested in me than I was in him. Sloane is counting on the fact that he still feels the same way."

Vaughn slowly digested this information. "So where is this guy? What does he do? How did he get these photos of Sloane in the first place?"

Sydney filled him in on the details regarding Sloane and Garson Durant as well as the fact that Jason was running a casino in Las Vegas.

"Sydney, how are you planning to get into Durant's inner sanctum?"  
  


"Well, Sloane wants me to get a job as a cocktail waitress at the casino."

"But this guy knows you from UCLA." Vaughn interjected. "Will he really believe that someone who's been college-educated would take a job as a cocktail waitress?"

"I'm supposed to make up some sob story about dropping out of school and being down on my luck." She said. "For authenticity, I thought I'd throw in some facts about being estranged from my father." She said jokingly, hoping to elicit a grin from her way-too-serious handler.

It didn't work. "Sydney, don't joke about this." He frowned, pacing the small enclosed area like a caged-up lion.

"Vaughn, please don't worry." Sydney said quietly. "I can do this."

"How?" He turned on his heel to look at her. "Have you thought it through?"

"I'll figure something out."

Vaughn drew his lips together in a grim line. He didn't want to say what he was thinking, but he had to. "Sydney, Sloane doesn't expect you to sleep with the guy in order to get these photos, does he?"

"Of course not!" She said adamantly. "And even if it comes to that, I wouldn't." _Didn't he know her better than that_? "I can handle myself if I get put in that situation, Vaughn." She said frostily.

"Without blowing your cover?" He said challengingly.

"I'm not helpless, you know." She shot back.

He flushed. "I know you're not."

"Anyway, Jason's not the type to force himself on a woman." She babbled. "When you look like he does, there's always another girl waiting in the wings."

He gaped at her. Did she think her little offhanded comment about how good-looking this guy was would make him feel better? On the contrary, it probably made him feel worse. 

"Besides which, we didn't have that kind of relationship." Sydney added. "We went out, but I never slept with him." _Now why did she just say that_?

An awkward silence fell between them. "You didn't have to tell me that." Vaughn finally said in a quiet voice.

"I know." Sydney conceded. "I just didn't want you to think that I was the kind of girl who fell into bed with every good-looking guy she met. That wasn't me then and it's not me now."

Vaughn didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. "So how long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Well, hopefully, I can meet up with Jason fairly quickly." She replied. "I'll have to figure out a cover that will explain why I have to leave my new job so suddenly, but I don't think it should take more than a few days."

"You're leaving today?"

"I have an afternoon flight, so I need to go home and pack." She stood up and looked at him. His face was impassive and she wished desperately to know what he was thinking. "So I'll see you when I get back?"

"Of course." He nodded. As she turned to go, he said her name. "Sydney?"

Sydney looked back at him expectantly.

"Good luck." He said, looking into her eyes. "And be careful." _Come back to me safely_.

She smiled. "I will." And then she was gone.

*     *     *     *

After leaving the warehouse, Vaughn went back to Headquarters with a specific task in mind. He ignored the secretary who had several urgent phone messages for him from an ailing Haladki (_Screw him_!_ Let him see what it felt like to be ignored_.) and went into his office.

Vaughn logged onto his computer and put the name of Jason Durant through the Agency Search engine. Unfortunately, nothing popped up, so he was clean as far as the government was concerned. 

So he logged onto the Internet to do a Google search. This time, his efforts paid off as the name Jason Durant appeared on a fair amount of web pages, mostly news stories from what he could tell.

He scanned through the newspaper articles first, picking through the ones that were from the local Las Vegas papers. There were stories about the gala Oasis Hotel opening, descriptions of the four-star amenities that awaited guests of the hotel, a feature about the penthouse apartment that Jason was living in on the very top floor of the hotel, complete with a custom-built kitchen, a jacuzzi in the marbled-tiled bathroom and a state-of-the-art entertainment room.

Vaughn was mainly looking for a picture of the guy. After Sydney's fawning (a slight exaggeration on his part) description, he had to see for himself if Jason Durant was all he was purported to be. Vaughn finally found a color photograph of Durant and a gorgeous, statuesque blonde attending a charity function at the Bellagio Hotel. 

_Okay, so he wasn't exactly the 4'2" ugly troll I wanted him to _be, Vaughn grimaced. Jason Durant was tall and well-built without being overly muscular. Longish black hair and intense blue eyes gave him a bit of a rock-star look about him, which probably served him well with the ladies.

Vaughn skimmed through a few news articles for information about Durant. "Eligible," "generous," and "charismatic" popped up frequently as descriptions for the young hotelier. Add to the mix that he was filthy rich and you had the perfect guy, Vaughn scowled to himself.

But Durant couldn't be so squeaky clean. He was involved in blackmail schemes, wasn't he? Why had no one ever reported him? Perhaps it was just easier—and less embarrassing—to pay the money and forget about it. If you were rolling in dough, what was a few hundred grand?

Vaughn hated the thought of Sydney being anywhere in the vicinity of Jason Durant. She was being naïve to think that he was still the same happy-go-lucky college kid she knew back when. Durant had been exposed to power. It was like a drug; there was nothing that could make a person feel higher than when you know you could snap your fingers and get anything you want.

What if he still wanted Sydney? Vaughn knew firsthand how the charms of Sydney Bristow could take over a person's heart. What if Durant had never gotten over her? Once she was back in his clutches, would he do _anything_ to keep her?

He didn't like that Sloane was sending Sydney in without Dixon as her back-up. It probably had something to do with his egomaniacal need to keep in control of the situation, even if it was from across the stateline. After all, it was easier to keep a secret between two people than three.

But he still felt uneasy about it. Jason Durant was an unknown quantity. They didn't know with whom they were dealing. Sydney needed someone there, if only to keep track of her movements in case she got into a tricky state of affairs. 

There was a knock on his door. "Come in!" He called out.

The door cracked open and Weiss stuck his head in. "Hey, the Weasel's out sick today, Devlin's left early and the rats are leaving the sinking ship!" Weiss appeared gleeful. "What are your plans for the weekend?"

Vaughn looked up at Weiss.  He made a split-second decision. "How do you feel about a road trip?"

_To be continued_…


	3. On the Road

Las Vegas, Nevada 

Sydney landed at McCarran Airport early that afternoon.  The hour-long flight had been without incident and although short, gave her time to think back on all that she knew about Jason Durant.

Jason had only gone to college to please his powerful and successful multimillionaire father. An average student, he barely got by in his classes and sometimes only on his charm, doling it out to enthralled TA's, who didn't mind boosting his grades from time to time. Sydney remembered how Jason always seemed to be surrounded by a crowd of girls and guys, hanging on his every word. She used to see him on campus from time to time, when he was heading out to a club while she was heading to the library.

They had met in Abnormal Psychology. He was already a senior, but still in the process of taking the required classes he needed in order to graduate.  She had been a freshman, quiet and studious and not exactly his type, if she were to judge the girls she usually saw him with. He was a guy who went to the extremes, leaning more towards the tanned, gorgeous California blondes or the exotic Asian girls with their pale skin and shiny black hair or the vivacious, peaches-and-cream-skinned redheads. So it was with shock and surprise when he sat down next to her in the cavernous lecture hall two weeks into the spring quarter.

He struck up a conversation with her and appeared to be pursuing her for some unfathomable reason. Surprisingly, he treated her in a very gentlemanly fashion and didn't make a move to ask her out on a real date. To use his words, they just "hung out together." Consequently, they became friends.

In the beginning, she secretly thought he was only using her to get by in the class. While that wasn't exactly an honorable maneuver, she was okay with it because she knew his game going in (or so she thought). And hey, when one of the hottest guys on campus was pretending to hang on your every word, she could overlook this flaw in his less-than-stellar character. It was kind of nice to be the girl everyone else envied for a change. It gave her a self-confidence she hadn't even known she possessed. She could be attractive and interesting and flirtatious and have people pay attention to what she had to say. If she actually stopped to think about it, Jason's interest in her might have been one of the reasons why she'd listened twice to the SD-6 recruitment officer. Before meeting Jason, she would have thought, "Me a spy? Never!" But after a few months in Jason's orbit, she found herself thinking, "I could be a spy if I wanted to be."

After they came back from Spring Break, Jason tried to move their relationship to the next plateau. She couldn't quite believe it, but wonder of wonders, he actually appeared to care for her. He told her he'd missed her and thought about her often during their time apart. 

By that time, however, she wasn't so taken with him because she saw him as a friend, not as some godlike, unattainable Big Man On Campus. But she agreed to go out on a few "real" dates with him and they kissed and whatnot (she did find him attractive, after all), but it never went any farther than that. Jason didn't push, but she could tell he was disappointed.

Although his attempt at romancing her failed, they still remained friends. She helped him study for the final in Abnormal Psych, he passed all of his classes and so he graduated. She hadn't heard from him since.

Once she was in the terminal, Sydney headed for the car rental counter. Since she was supposed to appear down-on-her-luck, she planned on taking a room close to the hotel at a less-than-savory establishment.

The Tahitian Terrace Motel didn't exactly live up to its name. It wasn't quite as rundown as those motels she passed that advertised their rates as "Weekly! Daily! Hourly!" (Sydney just couldn't bring herself to stay in a place that charged by the _hour_), but it wasn't the Four Seasons, either. There were a few palm trees planted outside the manager's office, but the dingy, two-story building with the pink-painted doors wasn't quite tropical enough to conjure up sandy beaches or bamboo huts or ocean breezes in her mind.

But it appeared relatively clean when she stepped into the dark motel room and turned on the lights. The walls were painted white and there was a colorful beach print on the wall. The bedspread was a shiny dark green jacquard and the carpet was a beige shag that had seen better days, judging by the stains in various places around the room. She strolled into the bathroom and surveyed the bad lighting and the small tub with the torn green shower curtain. Oh, well, if she were lucky, she wouldn't be spending much time here, anyway.

Opening her carry-on, Sydney stripped out of her black Donna Karan pantsuit and into a skintight Lycra tank dress that barely covered what it should have. Sydney resisted the urge to keep tugging at her "skirt" as she re-applied her makeup with a slightly heavy hand. Stepping into a pair of three-inch heels, she grabbed her tote and headed for her job interview at the Oasis.

**Weiss' Government-Issued Ford Taurus** (speeding down I-15)

"So, what's with the Mr. Spontaneous Act?" Weiss looked sideways at him as he moved out behind a slow-moving Cadillac so that he could pass it.

"Huh?" Vaughn feigned innocence.

"Come on, you're not exactly the impulsive type." Weiss chided him.

"Hey, give me a break!" Vaughn protested. "Wasn't I being impulsive in regard to the whole McKenas Cole debacle?"

"Well, yeah, but that was because Sydney was in trouble." Weiss cut his eyes at Vaughn, who had a slightly guilty look on his face. "Oh, man, why did it take me so long to figure it out? Does this little weekend sojourn have to do with a certain Agent we all know and you love?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Vaughn shot Weiss a deadly look. "Knock it off."

Weiss smirked. "Seriously, what's going on? Is it her mission?"

"She's not on a mission." He admitted. "At least not a sanctioned one."

"What's she doing?"

"There's someone in Vegas who has photos of Sloane with another woman in a…compromising position." Vaughn revealed.

"Whoa!" Weiss was properly shocked. "And he sent Sydney to get them? I didn't think he trusted her that much."

"Well, he didn't have much choice."

"What about Jack?"

Vaughn shook his head. "Jack wouldn't be able to accomplish this."

"And Sydney can? Why?"

"Because she knows the guy who has the photos. They dated in college."

"Ohhh!" Weiss suddenly understood. "So are we heading to Vegas because you think she can't handle herself? Because let me tell you, she could kick both our butts and not break a sweat."

"I know that. I'm not worried that she'll get hurt."

Weiss threw his friend a knowing glance. "Oh, so this is something else? Something else like the fact that you're a bit jealous that Sydney's going to hook up with an old flame?"

"He's not an old flame." Vaughn was quick to point out. "She told me they never…slept together." He said, feeling awkward.

"Ooh, and that little nugget of information came up just so casually in the conversation, did it?" 

"It wasn't as calculated as you make it sound. She just wanted me to know--" Vaughn felt like a dolt as he suddenly realized _why_ Sydney had let that information be known. "She wanted me to know." He repeated, almost to himself.

"Makes you wonder why, doesn't it?" Weiss quipped and pressed his foot down on the gas.

_To be continued_…


	4. Making Contact

Employee Dressing Room – Oasis Hotel 

Sydney stared at herself in the mirror with a dismayed look. The cocktail waitress "uniform" was straight out of "I Dream of Jeannie" with its gold bikini bottom attached to a pair of diaphanous aquamarine harem pants that were really nothing more than two swathes of chiffon on either side of her leg, allowing a long expanse of skin to be seen. She didn't get much help above the waist, either, having to bare her tanned, toned stomach, the gold bandeau-style top held up by two skinny straps. The only saving grace of this fashion nightmare was that she didn't have to totter around in high heels, the gold sequined sandals a mere two inches off the ground.

"You look great, honey." The woman dressing next to her, Mamie Kellogg, complimented as Sydney adjusted the little gold headband around her head. Mamie was wearing the same outfit only her pants were a deep purple.

Her interview with the hotel's personnel manager had been a breeze. Turnover was high (_especially if they had to wear an outfit like this_, Sydney thought wryly), so they were always looking for new cocktail waitresses. She was hired to start work immediately.

Sydney was asked her size, given a uniform and then was introduced to Mamie, who was just coming on for her shift. Mamie offered to take her down to the employee dressing room.

"So how long have you been working here?" Sydney asked, twisting her body to check out her rearview in the mirror.

"Since they opened up." Mamie had a slow Southern drawl. Sydney's ear for accents placed her from Texas or maybe Oklahoma.

"So I bet you know everything that goes on around here." Sydney hoped Mamie would be able to tell her something about Jason that would be useful in getting to meet him.

Mamie gave a throaty laugh. In her late thirties, she had been a cocktail waitress at the various hotels around town for almost 15 years. Late nights and a wee bit too much to drink at times had taken its toll on her looks, but her legs were still fabulous and she had developed a great rapport with her customers. She was a favorite with the regulars and tourists alike.

"Honey, there isn't a thing I don't know about this casino." Mamie began to apply a crimson lipstick to her lips.

"Is it a good place to work?" Sydney asked. "I mean, how's the management? Is the hotel doing well?"

"The kid who runs this place just sits back and lets the money roll in." Mamie replied, although not bitterly. "Granted, he has spent the money to make this place as upscale as it can be, so I suppose that old saying is true about having to spend money in order to make money."

"Have you met him?" Sydney inquired, an innocent look on her face.

Mamie chuckled. "Well, I haven't personally because I think I'm a little too old for him, but some of the other girls have." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Seems young Mr. Durant likes to party and he frequently has his man, Tony, scour the casino for girls to serve at his parties in the penthouse."

"He has a man?"

"His right-hand man, Tony Martone. Tony is like that stereotypical Italian guy from Brooklyn you always see on T.V. or in the movies. You hear that accent and you place him immediately."

_Sounds like the man I need to meet_, Sydney thought to herself. "So how often does Mr. Durant have these parties?"

Mamie gave her a shrewd look. "Is that what you're after, honey? You hoping to meet the big boss and have him take you away from all this?" She swept her hand across the room in a grand gesture.

Sydney blushed that she had been so obvious. Well, maybe she could use it to her advantage.

"Well, actually, you see, I used to know him. From school." Sydney confided. "And maybe I was hoping that we might hook up again. It's been a rough few years for me and it'd be nice to have someone take care of me for awhile."

Mamie gave her a sympathetic look. "No need to explain, honey. We all want someone like that."

Mamie took her upstairs to the kitchen/bar and explained the set-up. Then she gave Sydney a tray, a notepad and a pen and sent her out to work.

Sydney began her first trip around her serving station, a fairly quiet area considering she was the new girl. Sashay by the video poker, stroll past the nickel slots, cruise by the keno machines. She had the low-spender area, so she probably wouldn't be making much in tips tonight. She gave a sigh and started around again.

*     *     *     *

Two hours into her shift and she was bored out of her mind. How had Mamie done this for fifteen years? Sydney hadn't been able to spot Tony yet, but it was still early by Vegas standards. It was Friday night and the place was crawling with people. Surely, Jason would be in the mood to party.

Sydney dropped off a Coke for an older white-haired lady at the nickel slots ("Here's a quarter, dearie."), picked up a few glasses to take back to the kitchen, and then headed by the video poker machines for the umpteenth time. Lo and behold, there was someone sitting there, all by himself. She could only see the back of his head, but for some reason, the cut of his hair and the shape of his head reminded her of someone she knew. Then she shook her head, as if trying to clear it. _The cigarette smoke must be getting to me_, she thought.

"Cocktail?" She singsonged in a flat voice, as she neared the man. "Can I--" The man suddenly turned to look at her and she gasped. "What are you doing here?" She hissed.

Vaughn looked up at Sydney with a benevolent smile on his face, successfully concealing how affected he was by seeing her in that get-up. When he and Weiss had first arrived, he cased the joint quite thoroughly and spotted Sydney almost immediately in her belly-dancer outfit. He had to admit she filled it out spectacularly.

"Well, fancy meeting you here, Agent Bristow." Feeling bold, he gave her a leisurely up-and-down glance. When his eyes finally met back up with hers, he was amused to see so many emotions flit across her lovely face. She appeared stunned, flattered, embarrassed and furious all at the same time. "Nice outfit. Moonlighting in your spare time?"

"I asked you what you are doing here." She said tightly. "Did you follow me here because you think I'm in over my head?" She was outraged._ Didn't he have any confidence in her abilities_?

"Sydney, I know better than anyone how good you are at getting out of tight situations." Vaughn said placatingly. "You are incredibly resourceful, quick on your feet and you could probably charm the socks off of every man in this place."

"Well, if I'm such a Super Spy, then why do I need you to cover for me?" She asked pointedly.

"In an unknown environment, you should always have a back-up. Isn't that why you have Dixon?" Vaughn asked. "A lot can change in seven years, Sydney. I know you think you know this guy, but he might not be the same person he was before."

"I still say you shouldn't be here." She said stubbornly, refusing to listen to him. "You had no right to come in here and try to bulldoze your way into _my_ mission!" 

She clearly wasn't happy to see him and that hurt. He cared about her safety and well-being. He didn't want her to get hurt and if he was being completely honest with himself, it was more for personal reasons than for what it would mean to the agency. Didn't that mean anything to her or was she just on some I-Am-Woman-Hear-Me-Roar kick?

Feeling an irrational need to strike back, he narrowed his eyes at her. "You know, Syd, contrary to what you might believe, my life does not revolve around you." He said coolly.

"What?" She was momentarily taken aback by the icy tone in his voice.

"Did I say I was here to help you?" He shot back at her. "Las Vegas is a popular destination for people who live in California. Did you ever stop to think that maybe I had plans to come here long before your little mission even came up?"

She was confused. "Are you saying you're here on a vacation?"

"More like a weekend getaway." He corrected her. "I got to talking with someone and we just decided--"

"We?" Her anger suddenly boiled away and was replaced by a flash of jealousy. "You brought someone with you?" Her voice rose sharply.

_So that bothered her, huh_? "Well, people don't normally come to Vegas by themselves unless they're compulsive gamblers, wouldn't you say?" He said placidly.  
  


"I guess." Sydney wasn't sure now if she was more upset by the fact that he was here or that he was here _with someone else_. "What did you say you wanted to drink?" She said distractedly, suddenly wanting to get away from him.

"A Bud Light would be fine."

She made a note on her order pad and stalked away.

Vaughn sighed. It wasn't going to be easy to convince Sydney to let him and Weiss help her.

"Hey, did you make contact?" Weiss suddenly appeared.

"For better or worse." Vaughn said dryly.

Weiss winced. "Did she ream you a new one?"

"You might say that."

"Did you tell her we're only looking out for her?"

"Telling her that would only make her more mad." Vaughn looked around stealthily. "Look, Weiss, you have to make yourself scarce, so Sydney doesn't see you." He was going to keep his "I'm here with another woman." cover for as long as he could just to see how she'd react.

"You didn't tell her I was here?"

"It was hard to get a word in the way she was ranting at me."

"I hear you." Weiss said sympathetically. "I'll check back in a bit." He vamoosed.

Vaughn looked around for Sydney, who was taking her sweet time bringing him his drink. To pass the time (he was in Vegas, after all), he fed a roll of quarters into the machine and played a few hands of poker.

He felt a presence behind him and thought it was Sydney. He turned his head to see a short, stocky guy with a receding hairline and a handful of gold rings sitting down at the poker machine two seats away from him. Vaughn gave him a cursory glance and then went back to his video poker.

Sydney was in the kitchen waiting for her drink orders when Mamie sidled up next to her.

"Hi, Mamie, what's up?"

"Tony's on the floor." She tossed her head towards the door. "If he's out there, he's probably looking for some girls to serve at the boss's party."

Sydney smiled. "Thanks, Mamie." The bartender put Vaughn's beer on her already-loaded tray and she headed out.

Sydney went into full Look-at-Me! mode. Hips swinging, hair tossing, the whole nine yards. Her eyes were constantly scanning the casino, on the lookout for Tony. Mamie had said she would recognize him right away.

She had delivered all of her drinks except for Vaughn's beer. She had purposely put him last, so that he would have to wait the longest and his beer would be just the tiniest bit warm. Okay, so it was petty of her, but it was a small victory nonetheless.

She had turned the corner towards the video poker machines when she spotted Tony. She groaned inwardly as she realized he was sitting two seats down from Vaughn. _Oh, great_! _He's going to be sitting there when I have to try and charm Tony_!

"Here's your beer, sir." Sydney placed the bottle near Vaughn's hand. So as not to arouse suspicion, he held out a dollar bill, but she ignored him as well as his tip to go schmooze the guy sitting next to him.

"What the hell…" Vaughn said under his breath as he cut his eyes at Sydney. She had her back to him, so he couldn't see her face, but he could hear the tinkling laughter and he could see her tossing her hair. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he tried to hear what she was saying. _Why was she putting the moves on that guy_?

"Oh, Tony, I bet you say that to all the girls!" Sydney simpered, causing Vaughn to take a long pull on his beer. Even if it was all for show (and he knew it was. It _had_ to be.), he still didn't like hearing her bill and coo over another guy.

_Yes, damn it, he was jealous_! He knew that she sometimes had to use her charms and wiles in order to get people_—_scratch that, make that _men_—to do what she wanted. But that was all for the sake of her missions! He was never sitting two feet away, actually having to watch her flirt and smile and act all coy. _The thought of Sydney with another man_…it was enough to make him want to punch the guy's lights out. And if he felt this way towards the _mafioso_ wannabe sitting next to him, he knew it would be ten times worse to see her making nice with Durant.

"Tony, you are sooo bad!" Sydney scolded him, but she was laughing as she said it. "I'll be right back with your scotch and soda." She let her hand linger on his arm and then she waved.

"She's a hot little number, doncha think?" Tony suddenly leaned over to him.

"Um, yeah, she's all right." Vaughn replied, not wanting to associate with this cretin.

"My boss'll like her." As Vaughn contemplated that disquieting remark, Tony's beeper went off. "Oops, that's the boss." He stood up and fished a gold casino chip out of his pocket. "When that little chickie comes back with my drink, will you give her this and tell her to come up to the penthouse around 10:30 tonight?"

Vaughn suddenly realized who the "boss" was. He took the chip. "Sure."

Tony slapped him on the back as thanks and took off.

Sydney came back in record time with Tony's drink. "Where did he go?" She grumbled softly. "Did you scare him off?" She said accusingly to Vaughn.

"I did nothing of the sort." He didn't like Sydney being mad at him and had to set the record straight. "Look, Syd--"

Just then, Weiss came around the corner. "Hey—oops!" He shot Vaughn a sheepish look.

"Weiss?" Sydney said in confusion. "Is the entire Agency here this weekend?" She growled at them.

"Nice to see you again, Agent Bristow," Weiss said politely. "Might I compliment you on how fetching you look in that ensemble?"

"Can it, Weiss." She said in a no-nonsense voice as she cut her eyes at him.

"Hmmm, I'd bet you'd react differently if my associate here told you the same thing." He leered at her.

Sydney's caustic retort died on her lips as she blushed instead. Vaughn tried to glare at Weiss, but at the same time, he was tickled by Sydney's response to Weiss' needling. 

Sydney recovered quickly. "Weiss, do you know that I could sue you for sexual harassment based on the comment you just made?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know, the real Jeannie would just say, 'Yes, Master. Thank you, Master.' and accept it. Why can't you do that?"__

"I guess I'm just not Jeannie material." Sydney's eyes flashed.

"More's the pity." Weiss shook his head ruefully. "So did you tell her why we're here?"

Vaughn glared at Weiss. "I was just about to." He said, tight-lipped. Weiss got the message that he'd let the cat out of the bag too soon and averted his gaze.

"You two are here together?" Sydney's mouth dropped and her eyes darted from Vaughn to Weiss to Vaughn again. _Oh, very swift of you to finally get it, Syd_. "_Weiss_ is your date?" She said, laughter in her eyes.

"Date?" Weiss echoed.

"I didn't say you were my date." Vaughn said glumly, knowing the game was up. "Sydney, I was just about to tell you about him."

"Sure, Vaughn." She grinned saucily, her ill humor completely forgotten. "Look, guys, I appreciate the fact that you care enough about me to look out for my safety, but I can handle this on my own. I'm already working on a way to get into Jason's penthouse. Then I'll get the photos and be out of town before he even misses them."

"You already got the first part taken care of." Vaughn held up the gold chip.

"What does this mean?" She took the chip from him.

"It's an invitation from the mob boss who was sitting here before." He said sarcastically. "_His_ boss would like to see you in the penthouse at 10:30 tonight."

Sydney gave Vaughn her sunniest smile. "Excellent." She gave them a wave and then flounced away, knowing they would both be staring after her.

"So what now, Sherlock?" Weiss asked.

Vaughn looked up at his friend. "We have to find a way to get into the penthouse ourselves, Watson."

_To be continued_…

Author's Note: Now that we're at the halfway point, I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciate the reviews and to keep 'em coming!


	5. Meeting the Past

At 10:15 that evening, Sydney found Mamie and showed her the gold chip. "Mamie, I made contact with Tony and he gave me this chip. I'm supposed to go up to the penthouse in fifteen minutes."

Mamie shot her a grin. "Fast work, Sydney. I hope young Jason makes it worth your while."

Sydney stopped off in the ladies room to check her makeup. Then she headed over to the private elevator that would take her straight up to the penthouse.

There was a security guard sitting outside the elevator. She made note of that, realizing that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to come back down this way once she had the photographs. She put a smile on her face as she walked up to the man.

"Hi, I'm supposed to go up to the penthouse at 10:30?" She showed him the gold casino chip.

The guard looked her up and down, gave her a look that vaguely resembled a leer and then nodded. "Go ahead." He pushed the elevator button and the doors opened.

Sydney stepped into the elevator and took a deep breath once the doors closed. She was surprised to find her heart beating so rapidly. Was it just an adrenalin rush or was she looking forward to seeing Jason again more than she thought?

A bell dinged and the doors opened. Sydney walked out of the elevator and found herself standing in front of a set of ornately carved wooden doors. She stood there a few moments before knocking, trying to compose herself. She ran her fingers through her hair, picked a piece of lint from her pants. Then she gave a sharp rap on the door.

The door opened with a whoosh. She was surprised that Jason would answer the door himself. His kind of lifestyle called for a butler or a valet or one of those sorts.

Jason still looked incredible, she had to give him that. His dark hair was a little bit longer than it had been in school and his face had a hard edge that hadn't been there seven years ago, but his eyes were still intensely blue and his lips still had that sensuous curve. He also looked as if he worked out religiously, his body lean and rock-hard.

He recognized her immediately. "Oh, my God! Sydney?" His eyes widened.

She pretended to be stunned. "Jason?"

"I don't believe it!" He grabbed her hand and led her inside. The décor was simple and stark. The walls were white and the furniture was all chrome and glass and leather.  
  


"Sydney, what are you doing here?" He turned to face her after he closed the door. 

"Doesn't the outfit give me away?" Sydney was trying for an air of self-consciousness as if she were mortified that he was a witness to how far she had fallen since they had last seen each other.

He looked at her as if seeing her outfit for the first time. "You're working in my hotel as a cocktail waitress?" He looked incredulous.

"Guilty as charged." She gave a shrug. She looked around, trying to figure out if they were alone.

"Syd, come in and sit down." Jason led her over to the leather sofa. "I'm sorry if I'm acting shellshocked, but it's just that I never expected to see you--I mean, you were…you seemed so totally together in college. If there was one person I thought would make something of her life, it would be you." He said earnestly.

Sydney tried to look embarrassed. "Yeah, well, things don't always work out as you planned." She looked down at her hands.

"What happened?"

"Oh, God, it's so typical it makes me want to scream sometimes." She burst out. "You know, you meet the wrong guy and he screws up your life and then he leaves you and you suddenly realize all you lost because of him." Sydney was playing her Sad Sally act to the hilt and squeezed out a few tears. "My father was furious when I quit school to be with this guy, so he cut me off financially. I never got my degree and by the time I realized the guy was an asshole, we were pretty much estranged."

"After I broke up with the loser, the only jobs I could find were some waitressing gigs in L.A. At my last place, I heard some girls talking about Vegas as being where the money was. There are a lot of hotels here and you could make some decent tips." She gave another self-conscious shrug. "So that's why I'm here."

"I'm sorry you've had it so rough, Syd." Jason sounded genuinely sincere. "That guy _was_ an asshole if he would treat you like that." 

"Thanks, Jason." She gave him a grateful smile. "But enough about my sad state of affairs." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Look at you! I had no idea you actually owned a hotel here. I figured you would have joined your father's company or something."

Jason gave a smirk. "We tried that for about a month and then Dad decided the corporate life wasn't for me." He shook his head. "But he was looking to branch out and he gave me this place to run."

"Well, judging by all the people in the casino, you're very successful."

"Yeah, by my father's standards, I have done a good job here." Jason said ruefully. "I make him a lot of money."

"Doesn't that make you happy?"  
  


Sydney tried not to tense up as Jason reached out to touch a lock of her hair. "Maybe it would if I had someone to share it with." His hand moved to caress her cheek. "I've thought about you, Syd. Wondered where you were, how you were doing." He said softly, his eyes locking with hers. For a moment, she almost let herself fall under their spell. Then she remembered this wasn't a college dorm room and he was a blackmailer.

"I can't believe you even gave me a second thought in all these years." She said demurely, moving ever so slightly away from his reach.

"What, me not remember the girl who got away?" Jason said charmingly.

_Either Jason was rewriting history or there was a reason he was laying it on pretty thick_, Sydney thought to herself. But she smiled as if to let him know she was eating it up.

"So what do you think of the place?" He asked her.

"It's incredible." She stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that formed one wall. "This view is spectacular." From his penthouse, Jason had the entire Las Vegas Strip had his feet.

"Does it impress you enough to want to stay?" Jason asked.

She turned to look at him. "Wasn't I summoned up here to work your party?"

"Forget about that." He waved his hand and walked over to her. "I'll get Tony to find someone else. I want you to stay as my guest."

"Do you mean it?" Sydney looked up at him.

"Yeah, I do."

Sydney smiled winningly. "I would like that, Jason."

Jason gave her a broad smile and then leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Come on, let me show you around." He held out his hand.

During the tour, Sydney was able to get a layout of the apartment, making note of the security cameras placed throughout the penthouse. She oohed and aahed over the gourmet kitchen, the state-of-the-art entertainment room, the oak-paneled office with the comfy leather chair. Jason lingered particularly in his bedroom, which was decorated in black and white with a king-size bed covered in black satin sheets. Sydney scoured the room for a hidden security system and to her great relief, Jason hadn't thought it necessary to install cameras in his bedroom. Thankfully, his bizarre penchant for voyeurism didn't extend to watching _himself_ on videotape.

She needed some time alone in his room to search for a safe. "Jason, do you mind if I freshen up?" She gestured towards the Italian marble-tiled bathroom.

"Of course not, go right ahead." Jason smiled at her. "Are you hungry, Syd? The restaurant downstairs is supposed to be sending up the food for the party later on, but I think I can rustle up something in the kitchen. Maybe I can open up a bottle of wine and we can talk about old times?"

She smiled in a coquettish manner, stopping just short of eyelash fluttering. "That sounds wonderful." She murmured. "I'll be right down." She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

Sydney waited until she heard the bedroom door close and then she pulled open the bathroom door. She went for the armoire and then the closet, but they only held shoes and clothes. She rifled expertly through his dresser drawers, disturbing nothing as she slid her hands into the sides and corners. She checked under the bed just to make sure.

Then she went for the obvious. Quickly, she checked behind the Japanese silk-embroidered wall hanging, the black-and-white nature prints, a watercolor rendition of the Oasis Hotel and its surrounding grounds. _Bingo_! The painting above his bed concealed a coded wall safe. Sydney smiled with satisfaction. It was nothing a little code descrambler couldn't handle.

She replaced the picture and then surveyed the room to make sure nothing was out of place. If she could, she would try to lift the photos during the party, but if that wasn't feasible, she was sure she would have other chances. As she stepped outside the bedroom, she heard the front door slam.

"Hey, Boss!" Sydney recognized the voice as Tony's. "Boss, you have to come down and see this!"

"What's going on?" Jason came out of the kitchen, holding a tray of cheese and bread and a bottle of wine. Sydney closed the door behind her and started down the stairs.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had company." Tony looked apologetic when he saw her. He gave her a curious glance.

"It's okay." Jason set the tray down on the table. "Sydney and I are old friends."

"Oh." Tony contemplated that for a moment and then went on. "I wanted to tell you about what's happening downstairs in the Pool Bar. You have to come down and see."

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"It's a riot!" Tony enthused. "It's something you have to see for yourself." He said enigmatically.

"Hmmm, sounds intriguing." Jason commented. He looked at Sydney. "You want to go check it out, Syd?"

"It could be good for a few laughs." She nodded. "Are you still as good a pool player as you were in college?" Sydney thought back to the many nights she spent with Jason at the local pool hall near the university, watching him fleece his unsuspecting victims.

"I keep in practice." He smiled modestly.

The three of them took the elevator down to the Pool Bar. It was loud and dimly lit and full of neon, but it was also wall-to-wall people, all yelling and having a good time. Jason took her hand and led her to the back where the pool tables were. 

"Oh, my God…" Sydney uttered when she saw the scene before her.

_To be continued_…


	6. Plan of Attack

"Oh, my God…" Sydney uttered when she saw the scene before her.

Luckily, it was too noisy for anyone to hear her. Was she really seeing what she was seeing? Or had she stepped into some alternate universe where everything that was sane and normal had suddenly gone haywire? That was the only plausible explanation she could think of. It certainly wasn't in the real world in the year 2002 that she would see Senior CIA Agent Michael Vaughn (_Why on earth was he wearing glasses?) tossing back vodkas and whooping and hollering as he waved around a huge wad of cash. _Where the hell was Weiss_? She thought furiously, scanning the crowd. Then she spotted him. _He_ was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and a ridiculous fake mustache. It was a good fake; it just looked silly on his face._

"Come on, who's next?" An obviously drunken Vaughn called out to the crowd. "Anyone else feel like losing some money tonight?" He suddenly burst into song—in French, no less—much to the delight of his audience. Sydney was flabbergasted to see this side of him.

Tony leaned into Jason. "This guy has been in here all night getting totally wasted on Stoli and beating everyone in sight." Tony shook his head in amazement. "I don't see how anybody can be that good when they're high as a kite."

Jason looked amused. He was always up for a challenge and if he could impress Sydney in the process…

"I'll take you on!" Jason spoke up. Vaughn had trouble focusing on where the voice was coming from until Jason stepped forward, five $100 bills in his hand. Sydney wondered if he'd seen her as she was standing right behind Jason, but he gave no notice as his eyes passed right over her to light upon the money Jason was holding.

"Now here is a worthy opponent!" Vaughn said grandly, taking another slug of his drink. "Do you want to break or shall I?"

Sydney watched in fascination—as did the rest of the crowd—as Vaughn and Jason battled it out. Jason was as good as she remembered, but Vaughn was a shark, making shots he had no business making, especially in his state of inebriation. If she hadn't been so infuriated with him, she might almost have been impressed.

Vaughn sank his last shot and everyone roared. The game was over and he had won. Jason handed over his money without a protest. Now that the show was over, the crowd began to disperse. Sydney took the opportunity to move closer to the action.

"You play a mean game, my friend." Jason complimented Vaughn.

"You're not bad yourself." He said, pocketing the money. His eyes glanced over her, but she still saw no hint of recognition in them. What she really saw when he looked at her actually made her blush.

"I'm Jason Durant. I own this hotel." Jason held out his hand. He suddenly felt Sydney at his side. "Oh, this is a friend of mine, Sydney Bristow."

"Hello." She said evenly, her eyes cold.

"Miles Van Dam." Vaughn said smoothly, although his words were a bit slurred. "I'm out here from Indiana with a buddy of mine." He looked around. "Evan!" He bellowed, oblivious to the fact that he was yelling at the top of his voice.

Weiss suddenly appeared, a drink in his hand. "Here's your vodka." He shoved the glass into Vaughn's hand. "Evan Wysocki." Weiss pumped Jason's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Jason smiled. "I hope you're both enjoying yourselves at my establishment."

"Oh, yeah, it's been great!" Weiss said enthusiastically. "You've got a fabulous place here!"

"So where are you guys visiting from?" Jason asked.

"Miles and I are from Terre Haute, Indiana. We work at the same insurance agency. He and I got this trip as a reward for being the top salesmen last year." Weiss was really getting into his playacting now. Sydney would have told him to cut down on the embellishing, but hey, it was his gig to keep all his lies straight in his head.

"This is our first time out here."

"You're insurance salesmen." Jason looked vaguely amused at the two hicks from the sticks who were getting their first taste of Sin City, U.S.A. Why not give them something to tell their friends back home at the local IHOP?

"You know, I'm having some people up to my penthouse." Jason said. "Why don't you guys join us?" He invited. Sydney looked at him with a stunned expression. What on earth could have possessed him?

"You mean it?" Weiss gave him an eager look.

"Sure, the more the merrier." He said magnanimously. "Maybe Miles here will give me a chance to win back some of my money."

"Not bloody likely." Sydney heard Vaughn sneer under his breath as he downed the rest of his drink.

"Come on, we were just about to go up." Jason took hold of her elbow to guide her back through the throng of people.

"Um, Boss?" Tony suddenly appeared. "There's a situation…"

"Hold on, Tony." Jason held up his hand and turned back to Sydney. "Syd, why don't you take these gentlemen up to the penthouse? I won't be long."

"Sure, Jason." She said acquiescently. Maybe she could also give "Miles" and "Evan" a piece of her mind while she was at it.

Vaughn was stumbling over his feet as she led the way out of the bar. Once they were outside of the crush of people, he tripped and fell to the ground. He started laughing hysterically. Sydney became livid and as she and Weiss had to pick him up and practically carry him between them. 

"Of all the idiotic, harebrained stunts…" She muttered at them.

"You're pretty…" Vaughn crooned at her. Under different circumstances, that probably would have been enough to make her melt, but in this instance, it only made her angrier. 

She couldn't wait to light into them, confident in her rights that she had every reason to do so.

Once they were out of the casino and into the hotel lobby, Sydney spotted a door marked "Employees Only." She glanced around. It was late and no one was paying attention to a woman in a gold bikini and a guy in a Hawaiian shirt, both of whom were trying to keep an intoxicated man from falling on his face. She pulled Vaughn over to the door and tried the knob. Luckily, it was unlocked and she pushed them both in ahead of her.

"Weiss, how could let him get so plastered?" She hissed as the two of them propped Vaughn up against the wall. "On the off chance that I did need your help, he'd be totally useless!"

"It wasn't my fault, Agent Bristow." Weiss protested. "You said you didn't need us and he's a big boy. I didn't force any drinks down his throat."

"That's very true, Syd." Vaughn grinned stupidly at her as he started flicking at the beads on her chiffon headdress.

"Oh, so you do know who I am!" She said caustically. "The way you were acting out there, it was as if you'd never seen me before!" She fumed. ""Will you cut it out?" Sydney waved her hand at him as she would an annoying fly buzzing around her head.

"Look, we don't have a lot of time, but since you _had_ to get yourselves involved, I'm going to let you in on my plan just so that you don't louse it up." She glared at the two of them. Weiss appeared to give her his attention but Vaughn just started making kissy-faces at her. She ignored him and turned to Weiss. 

"Jason gave me a tour of his penthouse and I was able to locate his safe in the bedroom." She began. 

"You were in his bedroom?" Weiss interjected.

"It wasn't like that, Weiss." Sydney said icily.

"Yeah, Weiss, _Syndey_ already told me she didn't have to _sleep_ with him in order to get the pho-tos!" Vaughn mispronounced her name, slurring his words badly.

"Oh, God!" She shuddered. "Some time during the party, I'm going to tell Jason I have a headache and that I'm going to go lie down. That's when I'm going to go upstairs to disable the security feed and open the safe."

"You have a code descrambler?" Weiss asked.

She nodded. "And a little something to disable the security cameras for a few minutes. If I have to do anything even the least bit suspicious, I don't want them seeing any of it." Sydney pulled out the descrambler, which was as thin as a credit card, and a gadget that looked like a cigarette lighter from her bikini top, much to the obvious delight of Vaughn, whose eyes widened.

"Nice trick, Sydney." He grinned lasciviously. "What else can you take out of that top?" He started to reach out his hand before Sydney slapped it away.

"Is he always like this when he's drunk?" Sydney said in disbelief.

"Never mind about him." Weiss said dismissively. "Sydney, I think you forgot one thing."

"What?" She barked at him.

"Well, your outfit is pretty skimpy." Weiss pointed out. "Where are you going to hide the photos once you get them?"

"Yeah, it's not as if you can slip them down your non-existent pants." Vaughn suddenly piped up in a droll voice, his speech no longer slurred, his eyes no longer glassy and his footing no longer unsteady. He had a big sh*t-eating grin on his face and Sydney realized she'd been duped.

"Oh, my God, I'm going to kill you both!" She screeched and started slapping at both of them with the palms of her hands. Both Vaughn and Weiss were keeled over laughing as they tried to fend off her blows. After awhile, she stopped but she was still a little mad at them for playing her.

"Hey, we had to figure out a way to grab Durant's attention and we heard from the bartender that he's a bit of a pool shark." Vaughn tried to keep from laughing again. 

"Lucky for us, my friend here is as well." Weiss grabbed Vaughn by the shoulders.

Sydney grinned in spite of herself. She could enjoy a good joke, even if it was at her expense. "So I noticed. I didn't realize you had a hidden talent." She said teasingly.

Vaughn gave a modest shake of the head. "Just a by-product of my days as a slacker during one of my teenage years." 

"You?" She shook her head disbelievingly. "A slacker?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell you about it one of these days."

"I look forward to it." They exchanged glances as Weiss rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to play chaperone to a pair of lovesick CIA agents.

"So, Jeannie, Major Nelson, back to the mission?" Weiss clapped his hands together as Sydney and Vaughn blushed.

Sydney reluctantly got back to the matters at hand. "Okay, Weiss, you got our attention." She found herself staring at him in a horrified-fascinated sort of way. "God, I can't talk to you with that ridiculous thing on your face!" Weiss' bushy moustache wiggled whenever he spoke.

"It's not ridiculous!" Weiss protested.

"He thinks it's a good disguise." Vaughn put in.

Sydney turned on him. "And who are you supposed to be? Clark Kent? A pair of glasses and we're not supposed to know who you are?" Vaughn flushed as she called him to task for his less-than-effective camouflage.

Weiss cackled and Vaughn gave him a glare. "Hey, it worked for Superman, didn't it?" He said defensively.

Sydney observed them with an amused expression on her face. "Okay, look, you're both right. I can't hide the photos in my clothes, so I will need your help." She added, a bit reluctantly.

"Did you hear that, Weiss? Agent Bristow needs our help." Vaughn said in a mock serious tone.

Weiss pretended to be amazed. "You mean, Miss High-and-Mighty Spy Chick might need the help of us lowly underlings, after all?" He said in an aw-shucks voice.

Sydney flushed. "Okay, so maybe I was acting a little full of myself before."

A little?" Vaughn and Weiss said in unison and she blushed again.

"Okay, okay, so sometimes I get carried away and I think I can do everything by myself." She had the grace to look humbled. "We'll have to change things around a bit, but the basic plan will be the same. At the appointed time, I will go tell Jason that I have a headache and need to lie down."

She looked at Vaughn. "At the same time, we'll take advantage of the fact that everyone thinks you're drunk as a skunk by having you tie up the downstairs bathroom, puking your guts out."

"Check."

"Weiss, once I close the door to Jason's bedroom, you come up and tell the guard that you have to use the bathroom because some drunk is holed up in the one downstairs. Make up some story that it's a medical emergency and you have to go or you'll explode." 

She looked at him. "If he doesn't believe you, you'll have to take him out. Can you do that or will you need my help?"

Vaughn snorted and Weiss glared at him. "I believe I will be able to disarm a single security guard." He said haughtily.

"Ooh, Eric Weiss in action!" Vaughn said mockingly. "I wish I could be there to see that!" Sydney grinned. The two men had a great relationship and she was glad that Vaughn had a friend he could count on. 

"Well, maybe you'll be able to experience my wrath firsthand." Weiss threatened him with a sucker punch.

"Can you two please rehearse your comedy act another time!" She commanded them in a stern manner, stifling an urge to giggle. Someone in their motley trio had to keep their wits about them and it obviously wasn't going to be Cheech and Chong here. "Okay, after you take the guard out, get him out of sight and come into the bedroom. I can only scramble the security cameras for about nine minutes, so you're going to have to do this very quickly."

"By the time you come in, I should have the safe open." Sydney looked around the storage room for a particular item and her eyes lit up when she spotted it. "Put this in your pocket." She handed Weiss the duct tape.

"You're going to tape the photos to my body?" Weiss looked at her.

She smiled sweetly. "That's the plan."

"But duct tape hurts when you pull it off." He mumbled. Just thinking about it made him cringe.

Sydney and Vaughn shared a grin. "What time is it?" She asked him.

He checked his watch. "A little after twelve-thirty."

"We'd better go." Sydney replaced her gadgets in her bikini top. "Jason will be wondering where I am." She opened the door a crack to make sure no one was outside and then she and Weiss carried a seemingly bleary-eyed Vaughn to the elevator.

_To be continued_…

Author's Note: Michael Vartan has said in an interview that he thought about becoming a professional pool player before he became an actor, so I incorporated that fact into my story.  This was my favorite chapter to write and I hope you all got a kick out of it.


	7. The Heist and The Fight

The penthouse was so full of people when they arrived that Jason hadn't even missed them. He waved and smiled at Sydney when he saw her and beckoned her over to introduce her to some friends of his. Sydney felt very self-conscious in her waitress outfit, especially when all the other women there were decked out in designer duds, but she consoled herself with the thought that she would probably never see any of these people again. Sydney played her part of attentive girlfriend in front of Jason's friends and she could tell by the way he smiled at her that he was pleased.

After twenty interminably boring minutes, she excused herself by offering to get some wine for everyone. She caught sight of Weiss, who was stuffing his face, and Vaughn, who was in line for the bathroom. They couldn't commence with the plan until he was in place. Suddenly, she saw the door open and he slipped in. It was show time.

Sydney made her way back over to Jason, who was involved in conversation with a blonde tennis star. The blonde looked annoyed at her interruption, but she didn't care. "Jason, could I talk to you for a moment?"

  
"Sure, Syd." He pulled her off to the side.

"Jase, it's been a long day and I'm developing a terrible headache." She looked up at him with a weary expression and innocent eyes. "Do you mind if I go upstairs to your room to lie down for a bit?"

He smiled at her. "Go ahead, Syd." As he placed a kiss on her forehead, she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Come back down when you're feeling better."

She gave him a not-too-radiant smile. "Thanks, Jason."

Sydney quickly made for the stairs. A security guard was sitting in a chair outside of Jason's bedroom, but he paid her no mind as she slipped inside. Obviously, he wasn't there to protect his boss from the cocktail waitresses.

Sydney turned out the lights so that the room was dark and flipped the switch on her cigarette lighter to take out the security camera. She hit the timer on her watch and then hopped up onto Jason's bed to move the painting away from the wall. She attached the descrambler to the safe and let it go to work. Luckily, it was only a 7-digit code otherwise she could be there all day.

She heard a commotion outside the door and realized that Weiss was doing his thing. She jumped off the bed and ran to the door, pressing her ear against the door to hear what was going on. Sydney gasped when she heard a smack and a thud. She hoped Weiss was the one who had been on the giving end of those sounds.

She ran back to the safe. Seven minutes left and 3 numbers to go.

The bedroom door opened. She recognized Weiss' silhouette in the doorway. He quickly closed the door behind him.

  
"Can I turn the lights on?" He asked.

"Sure." The scrambler pinged and the code was broken. She turned the handle on the safe and the door opened. She rummaged through a number of manila envelopes, handing some to Weiss for him to look through.

Sydney found one marked _A_. _Sloane – 1/15/02_. "I think I found it." She checked her watch. Four and a half minutes. She ripped open the envelope and a stack of photos spilled out. She forced herself not to gag as she skimmed through pictures of Sloane and a pretty dark-haired woman, making sure they were all of him. She checked to make sure the negatives were also there and then shoved everything back in the envelope.

"Come on, Weiss, we have to get everything back in the safe." She held her hand out for the other envelopes.

"Sydney, did you see who he has pictures of? Movie stars, politicians…" Weiss was in shock.

"I don't want to know." She cut him off. "Just give them back to me so that I can close the safe."

"We can't take only the pictures of Sloane, Sydney." Weiss shook his head. "Then Durant will know that that's what we were looking for."

"I suppose you're right." She agreed. "It's just that it's so sleazy…" She had no time for further moral deliberations as she let him keep four of the envelopes and put everything else back in the safe. Two minutes, 45 seconds.

"Weiss, give me the tape and lift up your shirt!" She ordered.

Weiss handed her the tape but dawdled in regard to her other request.

"Weiss, did you hear me?" Sydney said impatiently, ripping the tape into strips.

"Okay, look, before I do this, you have to take into consideration that I haven't been able to get to the gym in a few weeks." He paused. "Okay, maybe months, but--"

"Weiss, I don't care if you have a gut!" Sydney interrupted him. "Lift up your shirt!"

A very reluctant Weiss presented Sydney with a broad, very white-skinned back. She bit back a "Whoa!" and placed the envelopes against his skin, securing them flat against his body with the tape.

"You know, you really should get out into the sun more often." She commented. She couldn't help herself.

"What, and become a walking target for skin cancer?" Weiss shot back over his shoulder. "No thanks."

She gave him an unseen grin. "A little color wouldn't hurt."

"Tell that to my future melanomas."

Sydney rolled her eyes. 30 seconds. She gave him the duct tape, the descrambler and her cigarette lighter. "Take these with you and get out. I don't want to be caught with any of that."

Weiss nodded. He was at the door when he turned back to her. "So we'll meet up in the Denny's parking lot in an hour?"  
  


"Yes! Go!" She waved at him. "And turn out the lights!" _Beep, beep, beep_! Her watch went off just as the door closed behind him. Her heart was pounding and she was breathing heavily, but she had done it.  
  


Weiss had just moved beyond the roped-off area at the foot of the stairs when Jason came blustering by. He was obviously intoxicated as he strode purposefully up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Alarmed, Weiss went off in search of Vaughn.

He found Vaughn near the bathroom, looking sheepish as he had to endure all the angry glares from the people who had been waiting for him to get out. Weiss grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Hey, what happened?" Vaughn asked. "Did you get them?"

"Yeah, we did, but never mind about that." Weiss brushed his question away. "Vaughn, Durant just went upstairs and from the look on his face, he had only one thing on his mind." He gave him a meaningful look.

Vaughn looked worried. "Is Sydney still up there?"

"Yeah." Weiss said urgently. "Vaughn, you've got to go up there."

"Didn't you tell me earlier today that Sydney could take care of herself?" He said warily.

"Sure, Sydney Bristow, Super Spy, can take care of herself, but Sydney Bristow, Hard Luck Cocktail Waitress is not supposed to have those kinds of moves." Weiss pointed out to him. "If she kick boxes him in the head, he's going to know something's up."

For some unfathomable reason, Vaughn was still acting hesitant. "Weiss, what if I go charging in there and she's already got him hog-tied to the bedpost?" His mouth was a grim line. "Or worse, what if he's got _her _hog-tied and she's enjoying it?"

"Are you still obsessing that Sydney still has a thing for Durant?" Weiss chided him. "She's playing a _part_, Vaughn. I mean, if there's anyone she has a thing for, I'd say it was perfectly obvious after today--"

"Enough, enough!" Vaughn cut him off, his jaw tight and his fists clenched. "If he lays one finger on her--"

Weiss smiled. "Go for it, Lancelot. Guinevere needs you."

Vaughn gave him a surprised look. "Since when did you become an expert on King Arthur?"

"Hey, I read books without pictures in them all the time!" Weiss pretended to be affronted and then winked. "I'm getting out of here while the getting's good." He headed for the door.

Vaughn hurtled up the stairs and threw open the door to Durant's bedroom. The lights were out and the room was dark, but he could hear sounds of a struggle. He flipped on the light to find Jason on top of Sydney as he had her pinned on the bed. An overpowering rage came over him at the sight of Sydney being at someone else's mercy and he lunged.

Not expecting the attack, Jason was startled when he felt someone grabbing him from behind. He loosened his hold on Sydney long enough for her to roll out from under him. Her bikini straps were torn and her pants were ripped, but at least he hadn't been able to do anything worse than tear her clothes.

Sydney could only stand there and watch as Vaughn and Jason rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Vaughn was punching and clawing and obviously winning the fight. Part of her was astonished that Vaughn was so enraged, as she had never seen him in such a violent state. And then when she realized it was because of her…well, was it bad of her to feel good that another human being was being pummeled in defense of her honor?

Her strong moral code got the best of her. "Va—Miles, stop!" She cried out, trying to pull him off of Jason. He was so worn out that he let her.

Jason staggered to his feet as well. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Van Dam?" He yelled.

"Don't you know that's no way to treat a lady?" Vaughn had put on his drunken act again, a trickle of blood coming down the side of his mouth as he held his hand out to hold Durant at bay. At least, Sydney thought he was acting, although he did look a little punch-drunk. He probably wasn't used to the fighting.

Jason snorted. "Lady? She's not a lady! She's a goddamned cocktail waitress!"

Sydney was as shocked as if Jason had called her a whore. Now she was sorry she'd pulled Vaughn off of him.

"Which makes her too good for the likes of you!" With that, Vaughn punched Jason squarely in the jaw, knocking him out cold. Jason fell back onto the bed, spread-eagled.

Sydney's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you just did that." She said in awe.

"Didn't think I had it in me, did you?" Vaughn gave her a crooked grin and then wiped at his mouth. "Come on, let's get out of here!" He grabbed her hand.

_To be continued_…


	8. Confessions from the Heart

Vaughn closed the bedroom door on the out-cold Jason and ushered Sydney down the stairs. If anyone noticed her torn clothing and disheveled appearance or his bloody lip and battered knuckles, they were either too polite or too smashed to say anything about it. Maybe it was a combination of the two. 

No one stopped them as they slipped out the front door. Vaughn headed for the elevator but Sydney seized his arm.

"We can't get out that way." She shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because there is a big, burly security guard at the bottom of that elevator and if they find Jason before we reach the first floor, we're cooked." Sydney spotted the Emergency Exit. "Come on, we'll head for the roof." She pushed on the metal bar and started up the stairs.

"Syd, are you sure about this?" 

"Yes." She nodded. "Sloane gave me the specs of the hotel before I left. In case of fire, there are five emergency exits that lead up to the roof. This is Jason's private exit and the other four exits are for the rest of the hotel. All we have to do is find one of those exits, which will take us down to the hotel guestrooms and then we can take the regular elevator from there."

"Brilliant." At the top of the stairs, Sydney pushed open the door and they found themselves on the roof, which was lit with several floodlights all along the perimeter. The crisp, cold fresh air hit their faces like a mountain breeze. It was invigorating after spending so many hours in a smoky casino with its recycled air blasting through the air conditioning. They both took a few deep breaths to catch their bearings.

Vaughn looked over at Sydney, who had her arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to conserve body heat. He'd forgotten how cold it could get in the desert at night.

"Sydney, forgive my manners." He shrugged out of his jacket. "Take my jacket before you catch your death." _God, did he sound just like his mother when he said that_?

"Thanks." Sydney said gratefully. As he held his jacket out for her to put her arms through, he caught sight of a scratch on the side of her face and the faint beginnings of a bruise on her upper arm. His blood began to boil again at the image of Durant mauling Sydney, causing blemishes to her perfection.

"Sydney, I didn't have time to ask you before, but are you okay?" He asked solicitously. "Durant didn't hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm fine." She shook her head. "My uniform's a little worse for wear, but I'm still intact."  
  


"Thank goodness." He said under his breath.

Sydney gave him a shy look. "Vaughn, what you did down there—defending my honor…" She said with an impressed grin. "You were like a man possessed."

Vaughn looked embarrassed. "I don't know where that came from." He shook his head. "But when I saw you…and he had you pinned down on the bed like that…" His voice trailed off. He couldn't tell her how incensed he had become, how he would have gone through fire, slayed the dragon, stuck needles in his eyes, _anything_, just to save her.

She decided to help him out. "Well, I just wanted to say thank you." Her words were heartfelt and it touched him right where it should. "That was a wicked right cross, Vaughn." She added teasingly.

He felt a flush suffuse his face and was glad for the darkness. "High praise coming from such an expert as yourself." He bantered back.

"Maybe I should be taking lessons from you." Sydney grinned and then tilted her head to study him. "You know, you're a lot more complex than I realized."

A surprised expression appeared on his face. "Complex is a very ambiguous word." He pointed out. "Is it a real compliment or something that just sounds like one?"

"I'll let you decide." She said, looking thoughtful. "You know, when we first met, I had you pegged as some uptight, by-the-book kind of guy. 'Following CIA protocol' was your mantra." Sydney made the double-quote signs with her fingers.

"Sydney, that is so not me!" He protested huffily.

"Don't get so defensive!" She grinned at his outburst. "I'm admitting I was wrong. I mean, you completely blew my theory out of the water when you showed up at SD-6 during the takeover with Cole. If you really were a company man, you never would walked into the lion's den completely on your own without back-up."

If she only knew why he had done it. Sydney probably thought that he had gone in like a one-man gang because he understood the importance of keeping SD-6 intact and what it would mean to the CIA if the building and everyone in it had been blown to smithereens. What would she think if she knew that that hadn't been his top priority? That his main concern had been that _she_ was in danger and needed his help?

"And now tonight, I've seen so many different sides of you, I don't know what's what." Sydney went on. "The pool-playing lounge singer, the obnoxious drunk and your latest role, my knight in shining armor." He looked embarrassed again and she smiled. "Have you ever thought of becoming an actor?" She asked with a straight face.

"Oh, God, no!" He groaned. "When I was a kid and we had to do oral book reports or recite something in front of the class, my knees would be shaking so hard, I swear you could hear them knocking together."

She laughed at the image. "Poor baby." 

"You know, Syd, even though I appreciate the kind words, we both know you're not exactly an ordinary damsel in distress." He ducked his head. "You didn't really need my help down there. I know you could have handled him just fine."

"Of course I could have, but I would have blown my cover." Sydney replied. "And we both know how important it is that he not suspect me in any of this."

"Well, you have Weiss to thank for my going up there." Vaughn told her. "He's the one who saw Durant heading up to the bedroom."

"Then I'll thank him, too, the next time I see him." She looked at him. "You and Weiss were both great tonight, you know. I know I made a big deal out of you two horning in on the action, but I really couldn't have done this without you." She acknowledged gratefully.

"Not bad for a couple of desk jockeys, huh?" He teased her.

She smiled. "I never should have underestimated you." His eyes met hers and then he looked down again in that self-effacing way he had.

Just then, they heard the scraping metal sound of a push bar being leaned against and the swish of a door opening. However, it wasn't from the direction from which they had come. It was from farther away.

"Someone's up here." They ducked around a corner.

"Do you think they're after us?"

He shrugged. "It could just be a regular security check."

The two of them inched around the concrete wall. Sydney poked her head around and saw two large men with walkie-talkies in their hands. They didn't seem to be in any hurry, so they probably weren't looking for her and Vaughn. But just in case they were…

"Take off your glasses! If Jason sent them, he'll have told them to look for a guy with glasses!" She whispered to him as she ripped away what was left of the chiffon around her legs and stuffed the fabric into his jacket pocket. Then she pulled his jacket tighter around her body. To an unenlightened observer, it looked as if she were wearing a very short dress (as you couldn't see anything below the bottom of his jacket) and was simply sporting her boyfriend's jacket in order to keep warm. She also looked unbelievably sexy with her long bare legs and tousled locks.

They heard the crunch of nearby footsteps on gravel. Vaughn instinctively pulled Sydney to the side so that his body was shielding hers. He was a bundle of nerves, his muscles tense, as he prayed they wouldn't get caught. Sydney was thinking of a plan just in case they did.

Her eyes caught sight of a heavy boot and she reacted. She grasped Vaughn's collar and pulled his face down to hers, pressing her lips against his. The response in her body was immediate. Every nerve ending felt as if it were on fire as she felt his hands inadvertently roaming her curves. She grabbed at him hungrily. For a few brief moments, she let herself forget the danger they were in and just reveled in all the exquisite sensations Vaughn was releasing in her.

Vaughn was in complete and total shock to find himself in a liplock with Sydney Bristow. He had imagined it so many times in his head—maybe from the first day he had met her—but to have it suddenly become a reality…and then to find out that the reality was so much more amazing than the fantasy…

If he lived to be a hundred years old, he would never forget what it felt like to kiss Sydney for the first time. For some reason, she tasted like strawberries and champagne. Her body molded against his in such a perfect manner, it was as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit together. The scent of her skin was intoxicating…he could feel himself drowning in her and he never wanted it to end.

Lost in themselves, they both heard the loud, slightly embarrassed throat-clearing behind them but neither made any attempt to end the kiss. It was as if there was an unspoken pact between them that they should take advantage of this situation for as long as they could because they didn't know when the opportunity would ever arise again.

_To be continued_…_(Coming soon…The supersized story finale_!_)_


	9. A Promise for Tomorrow

Sydney broke away in mid-kiss, pushing a slow-reacting Vaughn away from her. She gave a little gasp as she looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, Jim Bob, what did I tell you that your sick little fantasies would get us into trouble one day?" Sydney was suddenly spouting off in a thick Southern drawl. Vaughn turned to find an extremely large, muscular guy standing before them. He was holding a flashlight on them, but Vaughn couldn't tell if he was also packing a gun beneath his black windbreaker.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this was all my boyfriend's idea." She looked extremely repentant as she clutched his jacket tightly around her body. "It's like he has one of them…fetishes?" Sydney wrinkled her nose in confusion. "I don't know why it is, but he just has this powerful _need _for us to do it in high places. His little brother's tree house, the bell tower in our church. Back home, his favorite place is the water tower, but of course, it isn't anywheres near as tall as this." Sydney was babbling, but she looked extremely alluring while doing it, so Vaughn thought the security guy was buying her act.

"This area is supposed to be off limits to our guests." Security Guy said to them in a gruff tone. "There are signs posted everywhere."

"Well, I know, and we did see them," Sydney admitted guiltily. "But, see, this is our first visit to Las Vegas and Jim Bob just had to do it on the roof of one the fancy hotels." She showed off her dimples and for the first time, the security guy relaxed. Vaughn was in awe of her.

"Aw, Loretta Lou, why do you have to go airing all our secrets? Can't we keep anything private or do you have to blab everything about our sex life to a perfect stranger?" Vaughn sputtered at her in a perfect Southern twang.

Sydney's eyes widened when she heard Vaughn speak and it was all she could do to keep from bursting out laughing. Luckily, Security Guy was focusing on him and not paying any attention to her.

"Well, I'm only trying to explain what we're doing up here, so that we don't get arrested again like that time you just had to have some when we were at that spot overlooking the Grand Canyon." She said crossly. _Um, what was that she was going to tell Weiss about too much embellishment_?

"How was I to know those nuns would come walking by?" He flung back at her, his eyes daring her to top that.

"The sign said, 'Scenic Photo Opportunity!'" Sydney practically yelled at him.

Security Guy had heard enough. "Okay, okay, I don't want to hear anymore." He cut them both off. "Why don't you two just go down to your room and finish what you started in there?" He looked at Sydney. "What floor are you on?"

"Thirty-seven." She replied in a meek tone.

Security Guy looked at Vaughn. "Well, the hotel's only got forty stories. I think that's high enough, don't you?"

Sydney couldn't help the loud guffaw that escaped from her throat, but then she started coughing uncontrollably when she tried to cover it up.

"Come on, your girlfriend's going to catch a cold and that would ruin your vacation, wouldn't it?" Security Guy started directing them towards the emergency door. It was locked, but he had a key. "I have to finish my rounds up here, but when I come back, I don't want to see you two around." He pulled open the door for them and let them pass by.

Once they were alone in the stairwell, the only thing they could do was stare at each other for a few moments. Then they broke out into uncontrollable laughter. She fell against him as she giggled over his good-ole-boy drawl. He felt unbelievably solid next to her and that got her to thinking about what had happened before they had been so rudely interrupted by the security guard. Suddenly, being in such intimate contact with Vaughn didn't seem like such a good idea. Sydney backed off and let the wall hold her up instead.

He couldn't stop thinking about their kiss. It had shaken him to the very core of his being and he wanted to talk about it. Did she feel the same way? Was she sorry it had ended so abruptly? Would it ever happen again?

"You know, seriously, that acting thing might be the way to go for you." She gasped, trying to catch her breath. "You have great improv skills."

"Gee, thanks, I can just see the name, 'Jim Bob Vaughn' up in lights." He cracked.

"Sorry, it was just the first name that popped into my head." Sydney grinned.

"Well, I almost called you Loretta Lynn by mistake, so I know how that is." Vaughn smiled back at her. "Do you think we ought to get out of here?" He jerked his head towards the door, referring to the security guard's request that they not be around.

"Let's just climb down a few floors." She suggested. "I'm still a little wound-up over everything that's happened."

"You don't think he'll see us?"

Sydney gave him an overly patient look. "Vaughn, he's not going to climb forty flights of stairs to get to the ground floor. He'll just go down to the fortieth floor and take the elevator."

"Oh." He looked sheepish.

Sydney and Vaughn made their way down to the thirty-fifth floor. She stopped to sit down on the bottom step. He leaned against the railing.

"I'm sorry, I know you must be exhausted and I am, too, but I always get a little manic afterwards." She apologized. "It takes me a little while to come down."

"Come down after what? Another triumphant mission?" His words were slightly cynical in tone.

She looked up at him with mild surprise. "Well, I did do what I was supposed to do, so it _was_ a success." She was a bit confused by the odd note in his voice.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Sydney." He shook his head. "It's just the whole idea that Sloane will slip out of the noose once again. Someone has something on him, he figures out a way to diffuse the situation, and presto, suddenly there's nothing hanging over his head anymore."

"You know, even though I absolutely detest everything about your old boyfriend Durant, a part of me kind of wishes that he could've turned the screws on Sloane a little while longer." Vaughn grimaced.

"I know what you mean." Sydney grinned as that image flitted across her brain. "Even though I hate to fail, I wasn't above hoping that I wouldn't find the photos, either. I mean, I know that even if I hadn't, Sloane would just send someone else in to get them, but at least he would have had to sweat it out a few more weeks."

"Although, do you know that I've never actually seen him sweat?" She suddenly shot him a mischievous look. "It's totally freaky how he always manages to stay so cool under pressure. He probably has it written down somewhere in one of his pacts with the devil that sweating shall not be permitted." She intoned.

Vaughn looked at Sydney and Sydney looked at Vaughn. They were both dying to say it.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Do you?"

"I always thought he was the devil." They said in perfect unison.

"God, I'm starting to feel like Weiss in one of your comedy routines." Sydney shook her head. "But seriously, Vaughn, Sloane isn't going to get away scot-free with this."

"What are you going to do? You know you can't leak those photos. He'd kill you."

"Who said anything about leaking the photos? I want him to think he's gotten away with it." Sydney said carelessly. "But just because I can't show them to anybody doesn't mean I don't want a few dozen copies for myself." She looked sly.

"And then when SD-6 has been brought down and Sloane is in some nice maximum security prison and you need some information from him?" She tilted her head to look at him. "Let's say you want him to give you the name of an arms dealer or tell you who was funding the agency or even where he bought his handmade Italian suits? Well, then you can just whip out a photograph and see him go into absolute shock." Sydney's eyes closed as she smiled beatifically. "How I wish I could be there to see the look on his face when he realizes I doublecrossed him."

Vaughn gazed at her adoringly. Even when she was being just a little bit evil, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever known.

Sydney opened her eyes and his mask fell into place again as her doe-brown eyes met his. "Sorry, was that wrong of me to rejoice in another person's misery?" She was trying to look contrite, but failed miserably.

Vaughn grinned. "Ordinarily, I'd say yes, but we are talking about Sloane here and he deserves every bad thing he has coming to him." He gave a sigh. "So what now?"

"Well, you have to go meet Weiss and retrieve the photos." She shot him a wicked grin. "And don't be too gentle when you rip the tape from his body. Tell him I haven't forgotten about that crack he made about my costume."

"I'll do that." Vaughn's mouth quirked. "So you want us to take the photos back to L.A. and make the copies in the photo lab at Headquarters?"

"I think that would be best." She nodded. "Since you're driving back, you won't be subjected to any random searches at the airport. I'll call you when I get back and we'll arrange for me to get the photos from you."

"Will you be seeing Durant again?" His voice took on a hard edge.

"I have to." She replied. "Besides wanting to check out how he's dealing with the robbery, if I don't make up some excuse for leaving town, he might come looking for me."

"What are you going to tell him?"  
  


"Well, I had something planned, but now I just think I'll tell him the truth." She shrugged carelessly. "That I don't want to associate with a man who tried to rape me."

"Brutal honesty is always best." Vaughn said approvingly. "Just make sure you're not alone when you tell him."

"Yes, Dad." She rolled her eyes at him and then yawned. "God, I can't believe how long this day has been."

"Yeah, a lot has happened…" _Was now the right time to bring it up_? He had a feeling she would be out of it soon and he couldn't just leave things hanging like this.

"I can hardly keep my eyes open." She said sleepily.

"Yeah, you look tired." _Smooth move, buddy_. He could hear Weiss' chastising voice in his head. The one comment no woman wants to hear in regard to her appearance is that she looks like something the cat dragged in.

"Sydney, I know you're beat, but we have to talk about it." Vaughn said quietly. "What happened…on the roof…" He let his words trail off.

Her eyes flew open and she suddenly looked wide awake. "What about it?" She asked, her face a mask of caution.

"Well, I mean—that is, we…kissed." Vaughn stammered out.

Sydney jumped up, seemingly a bundle of restless energy now. "I know." She kept her back to him, so that he couldn't see her face. She didn't want to let him see how deeply his kiss had affected her. She couldn't let him know how she really felt about being held in his arms, crushed against his chest as he kissed the entire breath from her being.

 "Don't you think we should talk about it?" _God, why did he feel as if he were in high school again_? He could remember vividly the sweaty palms and the tongue-tied speech and the way his face always felt as if it were on fire whenever he tried to talk to a pretty girl. Of course, those agonizing moments had taken place over fifteen years ago and he thought he'd gotten past it. He'd had numerous girlfriends since high school and none of them had ever affected him to the point where he became that awkward high school kid again. Yet with one electrifying kiss, Sydney Bristow had suddenly sent him back in time.

"What's there to talk about?" Sydney struggled to keep her voice even and neutral. If it cracked even once, she was afraid she'd fall apart.

Vaughn gave her an odd look, but she still wasn't looking at him, so she didn't see it. "Well, it was the first time…" The minute the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. The _first _time? Didn't that sound as if he thought there would be a _next _time?

She whirled on her heels to face him. "And the last." Sydney added brusquely, her eyes flashing, even though she didn't really mean it. Just looking at him, standing there so stiffly, was enough to make her go weak in the knees. All she wanted to do was to go to him and bury her face against his shoulder.

He colored. "Of course. I didn't mean to imply that there would be a next time." He said stiltedly.

"Definitely not."

The way she kept answering him in that callous, clipped monotone was beginning to annoy him. The Sydney he knew was not some cold, heartless creature without any light or passion in her eyes. If she had felt even a tenth of what he had felt…but then why couldn't she express it? 

"You know, Syd, you're not going to appear like some weak little female if you let yourself express some emotions here." Vaughn said tightly. "We're the only two people here and I know better than anyone that you're no fragile china doll."

Her eyes became stormy. "You want me to express my emotions? Who are you? Dr. Phil on the Oprah show?"

"Sydney!" He said exasperatedly. "You and I just _kissed_. Maybe you don't want to admit it, but we've been leading up to that for a long time."

"I have been nothing but _professional_ with you!" She said heatedly. "If you choose to see it another way, that's your problem!"

Vaughn let out a snort. "There certainly wasn't anything _professional _about the way you grabbed me tonight!"

"That was done in context with the situation!" Sydney flared. "I was only trying to make sure that security guy didn't report us to the authorities for suspicious activity. Never mind what it would mean for both our covers, but you know Jason would have pressed assault charges against you!"

"So it could have been Weiss up there with you and you would have done the same thing?" He challenged her.

Sydney's irate retort died on her lips and she clamped her mouth shut. Vaughn gave her a smugly triumphant smirk.

"So admit it, Syd," He goaded her. "You took advantage of the situation."

Sydney glared at him. "What do you want me to say?" She asked roughly. "That I wanted to kiss you?"

"That would be nice." His sensual lips curved into a smile and she could feel her anger slowly draining away. It was slowly being replaced by a warm feeling spreading throughout her entire body. "At least, then I would know you're not just some kick-boxing robot in the guise of a beautiful woman."

Was there a woman alive who didn't melt when a man called her "beautiful?" Sydney was far from immune to Vaughn's considerable charms and her resolve was weakening. "I'm not a robot." She said with a pout on her face. "And I have feelings, too."

Vaughn closed the space between them until he was standing in front of her. "So tell me what they are." His voice was low and husky.

"I don't think I should." She couldn't look him in the face, but then that meant staring at the hollow near the base of his neck, which she had a very clear view of in light of the fact that the top buttons on his shirt were undone. _Don't even think about what it would be like to kiss that spot right next to his shoulder blade_! God, she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't.

"I'm not going to fall apart if you tell me it wasn't majorly earth-shattering for you." Okay, so maybe that was a lie. Truth was, he would be devastated if she told him that kiss hadn't rocked her world.

"If I said that," She said slowly. "It would be a lie." Sydney finally forced herself to look him in the eye. "And that's something I never want to do with you. You're the one person in my life with whom I can be completely honest and if I started lying to you now, I don't think I would like myself very much."

"Well, see, now was that so hard?" He teased her as if speaking to a child.

Her face broke out into a small grin. "Don't speak to me as if I'm a mental case." She scolded him. "You have no idea how difficult that was for me."

"Yes, I do, Syd." Vaughn brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "I know all about what you've gone through these past nine months. You are the strongest person I've ever known and how you've managed to pick up the broken pieces of your life and put them back together into a somewhat orderly manner is a constant source of amazement to me."

"You call my life orderly?" She gave a short laugh. "My father's a double agent, I work for a madman, I lie to my friends every day of the week--"

"I didn't say it was perfect." Vaughn deadpanned.

 She looked at him with troubled eyes. "I also can't…_be_ with anyone," She gave him a meaningful look. "At least, not until SD-6 is gone for good."

"Yeah, I know." He said soberly. 

"So even though what you and I shared was truly…_amazing_, we shouldn't let it happen again." Sydney felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. Had she been cursed in some way that she couldn't have the most important people in her life remain a constant? Her mother had been taken away from her when she was a child, Danny was gruesomely murdered and now she couldn't be with Vaughn in the ways that everyone else on the planet took for granted. 

All she wanted was a normal life, where she could be free to make her own decisions and love whomever she chose. She didn't want to have to worry that just being seen with her could cost someone their life.

But unfortunately, her life would never be normal as long as SD-6 existed. Like it or not, they owned her and they would until she could destroy it.

"That's very easy to say," He was gazing at her with those soft green eyes. "But it will be very hard to actually follow through with it."

"Sydney, whenever I'm with you and, increasingly, even when I'm not with you, the only thought in my head is what it would feel like to hold you and kiss you and make love to you." His voice was warm and velvety. "At least if I die tomorrow, I'll have fulfilled half of my dreams." He smiled tenderly at her.

"But that's just it!" Sydney burst out in frustration. "Don't you get it? I don't want you to die! I don't want anything to happen to you because of me!" She suddenly found herself crying into his shoulder. "I've already had that happen to me once with Danny and I don't think I could go through it again."

"Oh, Syd," Vaughn crooned into her ear as she sobbed. "It won't be like this forever." He stroked her hair, which felt like spun silk beneath his fingers. "There will come a day when SD-6 is no more and when that happens, you and I will be free."

Sydney wiped at her eyes, her crying jag subsiding. "I don't even think I know what that word means anymore."

"It means that you and I will be able to do what whatever we want without being afraid someone will see us." Vaughn ran his fingers along her cheek. "We'll be able to go jogging in the park together. We'll be able to go to that hockey game. We'll be able to go out to dinner at night and argue about who will go out to get breakfast the next morning."

Even as she was crying, Sydney let out an involuntary laugh at his audacity. "Well, somebody is certainly sure of himself, isn't he?"

Vaughn gave her a playful grin. "Well, shouldn't I be?" He raised an eyebrow.

Sydney met his gaze and found herself mesmerized by his jade green eyes. "Yes." She uttered that one single word and it was enough for him. He would wait for her until they were old and gray and then he would wait some more. However long it took, he would be there for her.

"Okay, then." He nodded contentedly.

Sydney suddenly felt panicky. She shouldn't have said that. It was wrong of her to ask him to wait for her even if that was the one thing in the world she wanted. "Vaughn, I can't ask you--" She started to protest, but he cut her off.

"You're not asking me, Sydney." He said gently. "I'm just telling you how it's going to be."

Her eyes grew cloudy. "You shouldn't throw your life away because of me!"

"Throw my life away?" Vaughn repeated. "How would I be doing that?"

"You'd be doing it if you waited for me."

"I don't think so, Syd." He shook his head. "Because I know how incredible it will be when we can be together and when that day comes, all the sacrifices will have been worth it."

"You don't know that." She said weakly, her resistance waning.

"I know you." Vaughn tipped her chin up to make her look at him. She gazed back at him with those big brown eyes, bright with tears. "And that's enough for me." He leaned down to touch her lips with his. There was none of the passionate ardor from their first kiss. This time it was gentler, sweeter, and filled with a promise. A promise that they would find a way to be free—to live and to love—together.

THE END

Author's Note: I took a break on the Action stuff to end on an S/V shipper note because that's what I ultimately hope will come about for these two. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review! I really do appreciate the feedback.  
  



	10. Sorry...This was a duplicate of Chapter ...

Sorry, a 10th chapter got uploaded by mistake.  My apologies.


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